To Hell With Romance
by Kitty Cavallone
Summary: Was he out of his mind, or just simply out of his friggin mind? She finally found her answer when she found herself wrapped in his tight embrace. They were both out of their minds.


The sun was high up in the clear skies and the heat outside was scorching, so Natsume Hyuuga thought it best to spend the tedious afternoon in this air-conditioned room.

He lay sprawled on the couch in contentment, falling asleep to the sounds of clinking and ticking. He couldn't have preferred any other lullaby, he thought as he slowly fell into a deep slumber.

The whole afternoon passed by in a haze with him falling in and out of sleep. When he woke up though, it was because the room had suddenly gone quiet. He tried to look around the room to check if something was wrong, but then his gaze landed on the figure that lay sleeping on the table in front of him, and he had to bite back the laugh that threatened to escape him.

Instead, he walked around the table silently then crouched beside the sleeping figure. He stared at her for a while, admiring how the orange glow of the sunset touched her ivory skin. Her face held nothing of the ice-cold demeanor she so often displayed in public. Right now all he wanted was to capture this picture in a timeless painting.

Placing a hand on her bare shoulder, Natsume gave her a little shake.

"Hey," he said, leaning down towards her face. "You'll hurt your neck if you stay there any longer."

No response.

"Hey," he leaned closer, his face a breadth away from her face. "Wake up, Hotaru."

* * *

A crease marred Hotaru Imai's face as she searched for a missing piece in the new project she was working on. It was a mess all over her living room, bits and pieces of metal scattered on her table and floor. Focused on looking for the piece, she only faintly heard the sound of a window sliding open and then shut.

She heard a thump on her living room couch, but she chose not to acknowledge it because she finally found that damned piece she was looking for. Picking it up, she attached it to her machinery and continued working on it, now fully ignoring the presence of the other creature in her home.

After a while of screwing and unscrewing, wrenching, and a bit of stretching, finally her work was done. Deciding her eyes and body needed a few minutes of rest, she lay her head on the table. She closed her eyes, mentally reminding herself that in in fifteen minutes she would clean up her mess.

And then she fell into a deep sleep.

Hotaru's nap consisted of a dream with strange circles and colors. The swirls were dynamically changing, but then everything suddenly turned black. Strange sounds were disturbing her sleep and she couldn't be any more annoyed at this moment.

Mind slowly waking to the real world, she started to take notice of her surroundings. The air was chilly around her, but she could feel a breath of warmth by her left ear.

"_Wake up, Hotaru._" A seductive whisper to her ear.

* * *

Hotaru jolted upright in surprise, and she would've fallen if the strong pair of arms weren't there to support her. Now she was fully awake. She tilted her head to look into the face of her intruder.

Staring into deep red eyes, she asked, "To what do I owe your annoying presence, Natsume?"

Natsume smirked at Hotaru's first name basis. "Do you have to owe me anything for me to be here?"

"That's not answering my question." She deadpanned.

He stood up then held a hand towards her. "Let's get you comfortable at the couch first, and we'll talk."

"I don't know what's there to talk about." She gave him her hand anyway and let him take her to the couch. When they were seated and were facing each other, she met Natsume's heated stare with her own unflinching one.

"I came here to court you." Natsume blurted, arrogance lacing his voice as he said it.

Hotaru swore her heart stopped beating for a while as she processed what Natsume had said. Was he out of his mind, or was he just out of his mind? To sum up the thoughts going on inside her head, she was confused. Like hell.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What sick joke are you trying to pull?"

His gaze held hers firmly. "You know I don't joke, Hotaru."

Both were silent for a while, holding each others' stares, neither one willing to back down and show surrender to the other. Thinking the silence would not bring about answers to her questions, Hotaru decided to break it.

"You're supposed to be heartbroken for losing Mikan to Koko."

"But I'm not."

"But you're not." Hotaru agreed. "Why?"

Natsume's gaze dropped down to where Hotaru's fingers were slightly fidgeting on her lap then went back up to her face. "It was a mutual break-up. Mikan and I decided our relationship was not meant to be a romantic one."

She raised a perfect brow. "So you're in pursuit of me because you'll find romance with me? Funny."

Natsume mirrored her, lifting his own eyebrow. "We both know romance isn't us, Hotaru. I'm talking passion here. Raw desire. I think it's time we both gave in to the attraction we feel for each other. Denying it would only be delaying it further and that's stupid."

"Why not have it when there's nothing holding you back from it?"

"Exactly."

Hotaru brushed her fingers over his thighs, wondering how she got this close to Natsume. She smiled. Even unconsciously, her body seeks Natsume.

Still smiling, her eyes containing a wicked glint, she said, "Then I don't accept your courtship."

Natsume leaned towards Hotaru, their foreheads now touching. He smiled back at her. "No?"

"No. That's too _romantic_."

He shrugged. "You're right. To hell with romance."

Natsume's lips touched hers, and all forms of coherent thinking went flying out the window.


End file.
